Everyday Examples of Joules and Watts in Physics

1. Joules (J):

   • A joule is a way to measure energy. For example, if you lift a 1 kg weight up 1 meter, it takes about 9.81 joules of energy. This is because energy needed to lift something depends on how high you lift it and how heavy it is.
   • A 100-watt light bulb uses 100 joules of energy every second. So, if it’s on for 10 seconds, it will use 1,000 joules of energy.

2. Watts (W):

   • A watt measures how quickly energy is used or made. For example, a solar panel with a power of 300 watts can change 300 joules of sunlight into electricity every second.
   • When you boil water in a kettle that uses 2,200 watts, it uses 2,200 joules of energy in just one second. To bring 1 liter of water (which takes about 4,186 joules) to a boil, it will take around 1.9 seconds. You can figure this out by dividing 4,186 joules by 2,200 watts.

These examples show how joules and watts relate to energy and everyday tasks like using light bulbs or boiling water.